The Luberon ( or ; Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

in central

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

, part of the

French Prealps The French Prealps (french: Préalpes) are a group of subalpine mountain ranges of medium elevation located immediately west of the French Alps. They roughly stretch from Lake Geneva southwest to the rivers Isère and Drôme; east to a line runn ...

. It has a maximum

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

of and an area of about . It is composed of three

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

s (from west to east): Lesser Luberon (''Petit Luberon''), Greater Luberon (''Grand Luberon'') and Eastern Luberon (''Luberon oriental''). The valleys north and south of them contain a number of towns and villages as well as agricultural land; the northern part is marked by the

Calavon The Calavon (french: le Calavon, also called ''le Coulon'') is an long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse ''départements'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .acute accent The acute accent (), , is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts. For the most commonly encountered uses of the accent in the Latin and Greek alphabets, precomposed ch ...

on top of the "e"); some dictionaries justify that the two spellings are interchangeable. The total number of inhabitants varies greatly between winter and summer, due to a massive influx of tourists during the warm season. It is a favourite destination for French high society and British and American visitors because of the pleasant and picturesque towns and villages, comfortable way of life, agricultural wealth, historical and cultural associations, as well as hiking trails.

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

notably lived in Cave Bonelly, a vineyard near to

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; ca, Rosselló ; oc, Rosselhon ) is a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the reg ...

, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In the last two decades the Luberon has become known in the English-speaking world especially through a series of books by British author

Peter Mayle Peter Mayle ( "mail"; 14 June 1939 – 18 January 2018) was a British businessman turned author who moved to France in the 1980s. He wrote a series of bestselling memoirs of his life there, beginning with '' A Year in Provence'' (1989). Early l ...

chronicling his life as an

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

settled in the Luberon village of

Ménerbes Ménerbes (; oc, Menèrba) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. The walled village on a hilltop in the Luberon mountains, foothills of the French Alps, constitutes the main set ...

. These are titled ''

A Year in Provence ''A Year in Provence'' is a 1989 best-selling memoir by Peter Mayle about his first year in Provence, and the local events and customs. It was adapted into a television series starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan. Reviewers praised the book's ho ...

'', ''Toujours Provence'' and ''Encore Provence''. Another of Mayle's books, a novel set in the Luberon, was made into a film called ''

A Good Year ''A Good Year'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed and produced by Ridley Scott. The film stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish, Tom Hollander, Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney. The film is loosely based ...

'' (2006) directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

, starring

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

and filmed in the region.

Flora and fauna

Luberon is particularly rich in biological diversity. There are known to be around 1,500 species of plants, accounting for 30% of the flora and fauna in France, 17,000 species and sub-species of insects with almost 2,300 species of Lepidoptera, or nearly 40% of species living in France, 341 species and subspecies of vertebrate wildlife, 135 species of birds and 21 species of bats or 70% of species present in France. Among the 1,500 different species of plants, there are 700 species and sub-species of higher plants and 200 species of lichens. Rich

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

deposits are also preserved here, documenting for example ancient species related to

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 500 ...

s, as well as an ancestral

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

. Image:Snake (Elaphe scalaris) by JM Rosier.JPG,

Ladder snake The ladder snake (''Zamenis scalaris'') is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Distribution The geographic range of the ladder snake includes Portugal, Spain, southern France a ...

Image:Habichtsadler.jpg,

Bonelli's eagle The Bonelli's eagle (''Aquila fasciata'') is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an ...

Image:Circaetus gallicus 01.JPG,

Short-toed snake eagle The short-toed snake eagle (''Circaetus gallicus''), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus n ...

, the largest bird of prey of the Luberon Image:Dectique à front blanc.jpg, Southern Wartbiter

Nuclear facilities

The ''

Force de frappe The ''Force de frappe'' (French language, French: "strike force"), or ''Force de dissuasion'' ("deterrent force") after 1961,Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104 is the designation of what used to ...

'' or French strategic nuclear arsenal used to be located on the Plateau d'Albion before being dismantled in the late 1980s. Now, the underground site where the missile controls were located is a public multidisciplinary laboratory of the

University of Nice Sophia Antipolis The University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (french: Université Nice Sophia Antipolis) was a university located in Nice, France and neighboring areas. It was founded in 1965 and was organized in eight faculties, two autonomous institutes and an eng ...

, the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of

Rustrel Rustrel (; oc, Rustrèu) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 688. Sights This village is famous for its ochre, which many people come to visi ...

, Pays d'Apt.Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt

Communes in the Parc naturel régional du Luberon

In Vaucluse

Ansouis Ansouis (; oc, Ansoís) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Apt Apt. is an abbreviation for apartment. Apt may also refer to: Places * Apt Cathedral, a former cathedral, and national monument of France, in the town of Apt in Provence * Apt, Vaucluse, a commune of the Vaucluse département of France * A ...

, small town near the eastern end of the Luberon valley *

La Bastide-des-Jourdans La Bastide-des-Jourdans (; oc, La Bastida dei Jordans) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Côtes du Luberon AOC *Communes of the Vaucluse department The follow ...

La Bastidonne La Bastidonne (; oc, La Bastidona) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Côtes du Luberon AOC *Communes of the Vaucluse department *Luberon The Luberon ( or ; P ...

Beaumettes Beaumettes (; oc, Lei Baumetas) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography The village lies on the right bank of the Calavon, which forms all of the commune's southern bo ...

Beaumont-de-Pertuis Beaumont-de-Pertuis (, literally ''Beaumont of Pertuis''; oc, Bèumont de Pertús) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Beaumont de Pertuis is a small village situated in the ...

Bonnieux Bonnieux (; oc, Bonius) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,206. In the plain below the village stands the notable Roman bridge the Pont Jul ...

* Buoux *

Cabrières-d'Aigues Cabrières-d'Aigues (; Provençal: ''Cabrièras d'Egues'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Côtes du Luberon AOC *Communes of the Vaucluse department * Étang ...

Cadenet Cadenet () is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Cadenétiens'' in French. Geography Cadenet is a village located on the southern slopes of the Lub ...

* Caseneuve *

Cavaillon Cavaillon (; Provençal: ''Cavalhon'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France.

, small town at the western entrance to the Luberon valley *

Cheval-Blanc Cheval-Blanc (; oc, Lo Chivau Blanc) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Côtes du Luberon AOC *Communes of the Vaucluse department *Luberon The Luberon ( or ; ...

Cucuron Cucuron () is a village (commune) in the Vaucluse department, of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Cucuronnais''. Located on the south side of the Luberon mountain range, Cucuron is surr ...

* Gargas *

Gordes Gordes (; oc, Gòrda) is a commune in the Vaucluse département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The residents are known as ''Gordiens.'' The nearest big city is Avignon; smaller cities nearby include Cavaillo ...

Goult Goult is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The village is perched on a hill with a solitary road to the peak. Near the end of the road is a 12th-century castle, the Château d ...

Grambois Grambois (; oc, Gramboés) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Grambois is a renovated, perched medieval village and quite close to the Luberon mountains. This small town was ...

Joucas Joucas (''Jocaç'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The town is located on the perimeter of the Parc naturel régional du Luberon. Geography Located between two ...

Lacoste Lacoste S.A. is a French company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur Mangkha. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The company can be recognised by its gree ...

Lagarde-d'Apt Lagarde-d'Apt (, literally ''Lagarde of Apt''; oc, La Gàrda d'Ate) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a local centre for lavender distilling for the perfume trade, co ...

Lauris Lauris (; oc, Làurias) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is located between the Luberon and the Durance river. The town has seen a rapid increase in population in sinc ...

* Lioux *

Lourmarin Lourmarin (; oc, Lormarin) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Lourmarinois''. Geography Lourmarin is located in the French region of Provence, ...

* Maubec *

Mérindol Mérindol (; oc, Merindòu) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The village, located south of the Luberon massif, has some prominence in the plain of the Durance river which ...

Mirabeau Mirabeau may refer to: People and characters * Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798–1859), second President of the Republic of Texas French nobility * Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau (1715–1789), French physiocrat * Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, com ...

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, ...

Oppède Oppède (; oc, Opeda) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. ''Oppidum'' is the Latin word for 'town'. History It is in fact two villages: Oppède-le-Vieux ("the old" in Frenc ...

Pertuis Pertuis (; oc, Pertús) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Located south of the Luberon, this town is also near Aix-en-Provence, a famous town. Pertuis has existed since at ...

* Peypin-d'Aigues * Puget *

Puyvert Puyvert (; oc, Puègvèrd) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Puyvert borders the Bouches du Rhone department, sitting on the river Durance. The former priory of Saint-Pi ...

Robion Robion () is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The new part of the village runs along the D2 road, and the old part of the village is clustered at the foot of the Luberon moun ...

Saignon Saignon (; oc, Sanhon) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The nearest town is Apt. There is a bakery/cafe, two restaurants, and a general store. The school has about 100 st ...

Saint-Martin-de-Castillon Saint-Martin-de-Castillon (; oc, Sant Martin de Castilhon) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in southeastern France. Geography The river ...

* Saint-Martin-de-la-Brasque * Saint-Pantaléon *

Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt (, literally ''Saint-Saturnin near Apt''; Provençal: ''Sant Savornin d’Ate'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Twin towns * Castelfranco di So ...

Sannes Sannes (; oc, Çana) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Côtes du Luberon AOC *Communes of the Vaucluse department *Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal: ''L ...

Taillades Taillades (; oc, Lei Talhadas) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is east of Cavaillon, and south east of Avignon. Situated in the Luberon, the village covers 675 hect ...

La Tour-d'Aigues La Tour-d'Aigues (; oc, La Torre d'Egues) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in southeastern France. Geography The town is located at th ...

Vaugines Vaugines (; oc, Vaugina) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It lies on the southern slopes of the Luberon Massif. It is a very old and isolated village. Vaugines has preserv ...

* Viens * Villars * Villelaure * Vitrolles-en-Luberon

In Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

* Aubenas-les-Alpes *

La Brillanne La Brillanne (; oc, La Brilhana) is a commune in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in southeastern France. Population Its inhabitants are referred to as ''Brillannais''. See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departmen ...

Céreste Céreste (; Occitan: ''Ceirèsta'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. It is known for its rich fossil beds in fine layers of "Calcaire de Campagne Calavon" limestone, which are now protected by the ...

* Dauphin *

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. Dur ...

Limans Limans is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department References

Communes of Alpe ...

Lurs Lurs () are an Iranian people living in the mountains of western Iran. The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper, who are principally linked by the Luri language. Lorestan Province is named after the Lu ...

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

Montfuron Montfuron () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Luberon * Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 C ...

Montjustin Montjustin () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population Personalities * Henri Cartier-Bresson was buried in the cemetery of Montjustin. See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Pr ...

Niozelles Niozelles (; oc, Nuasèlas) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 Communes of France, com ...

Oppedette Oppedette is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The commune is traversed by the river Calavon. Population See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The f ...

* Pierrerue *

Pierrevert Pierrevert (; oc, Peiravèrd) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department *Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC Coteaux de Pierrev ...

Reillanne Reillanne (; oc, Ralhana) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. It is due north of Toulon and west of Nice. History The earliest record of a city on this site is the Roman town of Alaunia in 909. That c ...

* Revest-des-Brousses *

Saint-Maime Saint-Maime (; oc, Sant Maime) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. It is located in the Luberon national park and is home to the 12th century chapel Chapelle Sainte-Agathe. Geography The village i ...

Saint-Martin-les-Eaux Saint-Martin-les-Eaux (; Provençal: ''Sant Martin deis Aigas'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Luberon *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The followi ...

* Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire *

Sainte-Tulle Sainte-Tulle (; oc, Santa Túllia) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Luberon * Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following ...

* Vachères *

Villemus Villemus is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department * Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is ...

* Villeneuve *

Volx Volx (; oc, Vòus) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Population See also * Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC * Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal: ''Lebe ...

Golden triangle of Luberon

, village on the border between the Little and Big Luberon *

, facing the Luberon, this village is considered the top of the Golden Triangle (the base being made by the Little Luberon mountains) *

, perched on a hill in the middle of the valley of the Luberon *

and the ancient castle of the uncle of "le Marquis de Sade" *

with its historic section perched on the hillside Oppéde-le-Vieux *

, like Goult, perched on a hill within the Luberon valley

Southern Luberon

, village on the border between Little and Big Luberon *

* Pavillon de Galon

References

External links

Discover the Luberon on Notreprovence.fr in EnglishAerial photos LuberonPhoto essay - Experience the Luberon
{{coord, 43, 47, 46, N, 5, 13, 26, E, region:FR-U_type:mountain, display=title Geography of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Geography of Vaucluse Biosphere reserves of France Global Geoparks Network members Geoparks in France Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia